TEL AVIV – Megastar Mariah Carey gushed that she’s in a “love affair” with Israel during a visit to debut her new Dead Sea-based beauty line.
“We can call it a love affair,” she said of her relationship with Israel at a press conference Monday at the Royal Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv.
“I’m just so happy to be back in the Holy Land. It’s beautiful here,” she added.
Carey, who is in the country promoting her new line called Premier Dead Sea mineral products, will visit the Dead Sea for the first time. The singer, who has been to Israel on a number of occasions, was accompanied by her twins children Morocco and Monroe.
“I’m hoping they’ll have a good time and won’t get salt in their eyes,” Carey said.
On her previous visit to the country in 2015, Carey dined with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. She came under fire for the incident, since her partner at the time, casino mogul James Packer, was a major donor to Netanyahu and has been accused of playing a part in a corruption scandal currently surrounding the prime minister.
When questioned about the dinner, Carey brushed it off, quipping, “What, I can’t eat now?”
Carey said she prefers keeping away from politics.
“I don’t think it’s my place to act like a political figure. That’s not who I am.” she said. “We love everybody.”
“I really mean it,” continued Carey, who has received plenty of negative press for her support of Israel. “I don’t care what people say about political things that don’t pertain to my life.”
“We’ll burn hatred,” she declared.
During that visit, the singer also visited the Western Wall.
Carey said she is back in the studio working on new material but has no plans to perform in Israel in the near future.
“Songwriting is where I’m at my happiest,” she said.